Death, taxes and Giancarlo Stanton heading to the injured list with a lower-body ailment.
Stanton was placed on the IL Sunday with a strained left hamstring, actually pre-dating the deadline for Americans to pay their taxes. It marked the fifth straight season he has been put on the list with nine stints in all — the last eight of which have been for a leg malady.
So ad-libbing without Stanton has become as much a part of a Yankee season as, say, Old-Timers’ Day. And the Yankees may already have struck on a valuable audible — Anthony Volpe leading off and DJ LeMahieu moving to an RBI spot.
That needs to become permanent for the Yankees to be the best version of themselves, for it would lengthen the lineup and put LeMahieu’s contact-oriented bat in a place to break up swing-and-miss elements in the order, notably with men on base.
Now, this only works if Volpe and LeMahieu work. Volpe has seemed to shake off his first MLB slump. In the past five games — three of which he led off for the first time in the majors — Volpe was hitting .313 with a .421 slugging percentage and .563 slugging percentage while going 4-for-4 in steals. Are we seeing the emergence of an instant difference-maker?
LeMahieu, like Stanton, has become more brittle with advancing age. Can he stay healthy for a full season? Also, LeMahieu is striking out way more than at any time — his 29.4 percent rate is more than double his 14.6 percent career rate. Still, he was batting .284 with a .543 slugging percentage and had the majors’ third hardest-hit percentage (64.5 percent); just ahead of Aaron Judge (62.9) in fourth.
Seeing LeMahieu just ahead of Judge has become Aaron Boone’s lineup comfort zone. But there is a case for Volpe first and LeMahieu fourth — even when Stanton returns:
- LeMahieu’s judicious at-bats and on-base percentage were attractive for Boone to place ahead of Judge. But what if the Yankees skipper can get the same from Volpe, who early on had a precocious 14.5 percent walk rate. The bonus from Volpe is speed (7-for-7 overall in steals). Would that lead to more distracted pitchers plus fastballs for Judge?
- If Volpe can go effectively from the bottom to leadoff, the Yankee lineup lengthens at the top, especially if they ever get to full health with Stanton and Harrison Bader joining the current cast. That is valuable when the bottom of the lineup feels as if it will be a work in progress from here through the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
- Having the lefty bat of Anthony Rizzo between Judge and Stanton has made navigating the top of the lineup more difficult. Would it become even more so with LeMahieu behind Rizzo and in front of Stanton? Judge and Stanton are menacing, but the high strikeout totals provide opposing managers/pitchers a way to navigate jams via righty strikeout relievers, in particular. Putting Rizzo and LeMahieu between Judge and Stanton would make that a more difficult passageway.
When done best, the art of managing is to do what the opposing team hopes you do least. And I would think most opposing managers/pitchers would prefer Judge-Rizzo-Stanton over Judge-Rizzo-LeMahieu-Stanton, especially in RBI spots.
This configuration is mainly to make the Yankees tougher to pitch to come the playoffs, but also to maximize regular season winning. Because nothing can be assumed in this version of the AL East. All five teams concluded the weekend .500 or better and the Rays had the AL’s best record and the Yankees, Blue Jays and Twins were tied for the next best.
In the early going, the four divisional foes are averaging more runs per game than the Yankees’ just below-league-average 4.62. The Yankees have been dealing with a lot of dead spots in the lineup, including every preseason concern manifesting about Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Aaron Hicks (hitting a combined .117 in 62 plate appearances).
Volpe’s overall hitting stats remain below average. But his recent work and Boone’s other choices scream that the rookie should be leading off. If Boone needs it, there is a historic precedent. The 1996 season began with the Yankees 21-year-old rookie shortstop, Derek Jeter, hitting ninth. Historic on-base warhorses Wade Boggs and Tim Raines hit first most often. Jeter did not bat leadoff until April 27 and didn’t do it regularly until early August. Even in the 15 playoff games — on the way to a championship — Jeter hit leadoff seven times, but ninth five times (he also hit second on three occasions).
Volpe, who turns 22 next week and was the youngest Yankees Opening Day starter since Jeter, has shown a lot of the former captain’s confidence and energy. It is worth using the too familiar — a Stanton IL stint — to see if Volpe also is a leading man … in all ways.